Industry Insights
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Carla Ibarra of NRG Energy on the Importance of Connecting Brand Purpose with Audience Needs
Pulse July 2, 2026Carla Ibarra, senior director of change management communications at NRG Energy, shares what the 2026 ANA Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Excellence Awards Grand Jury is looking for. Her insights into cultural authenticity, AI risk, and measurable impact could reshape how teams approach award submissions.
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Many Ads Are Too Boring – Here's How to Change That
Leading Edge July 1, 2026What if watching paint dry beats nearly one-third of ads? New DAIVID research shows boredom is quietly undermining ad effectiveness, with AI-powered creative testing revealing how emotional engagement, attention, and brand recall may be failing at massive scale.
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Julia Huang of Intertrend on How to Win More than the Moment with Marketing
Pulse June 30, 2026Julia Huang, founder of and CEO at Intertrend, shares what separates good marketing from truly exceptional work as a 2026 ANA Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Excellence Awards Grand Jury member. Her perspective on cultural speed, AI's limits, and the cost of forgettable work may reshape how teams approach this year's submissions.
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How Marketing's Most Confident Leaders Make a Financial Impact
Leading Edge June 30, 2026A new ANA and NewtonX report finds that 59 percent of senior B2B marketers can now measure and defend marketing's financial impact — up from 39 percent in 2025. A persistent "Vocabulary Gap" around pipeline, attribution, and effect may still be limiting how much finance is willing to trust marketing's numbers.
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AI Announcements Roar at Cannes Lions
Leading Edge June 29, 2026Artificial intelligence dominated Cannes Lions this year, but the conversation is shifting from capability to control. Announcements from Google, Meta, Adobe, and others suggest the industry may be entering a new phase of accountability and trust.
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ANA VP Peter Kenigsberg Breaks Down the Current State of In-House Agencies
Pulse June 29, 2026Creative complacency and disruption driven by artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping what in-house agencies must prove to survive. A new ANA report reveals how teams are repositioning from cost centers to strategic partners — and what metrics could make or break that shift.
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Evolution Over Revolution: Why the Strongest Brands Are Rejecting Reinvention
Leading Edge June 29, 2026Brand evolution is overtaking reinvention as leading brands prioritize equity, clarity, and stability, according to Fratzke's 2026 Brand Strategy Playbook. Survey data shows marketers favor research, storytelling, and strategy over sweeping rebrands that could dilute trust.
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Marketers Can't Solve 2026's Biggest Problems Alone
Pulse June 29, 2026Collaboration may be the most underrated tool in a marketer's arsenal, and a timeless proverb makes the case better than any strategy deck. The host of On Scope: The Marketing Podcast explores why shared effort — not solo speed — could define the marketing industry's future in 2026.
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Anibal Casso of Ogilvy on the Importance of Human Truth in Marketing
Pulse June 26, 2026Anibal Casso, chief strategic officer at Ogilvy North America, shares what separates exceptional multicultural work from work that merely gets the surface right. His perspective as a 2026 ANA Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Awards Grand Jury member may reshape how teams approach insight, risk, and cultural fluency.
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Are You the Only One Using Your Data to Train AI?
Leading Edge June 26, 2026Are brands unknowingly training someone else's artificial intelligence (AI) with their data? As agentic AI spreads, marketers are rethinking first-party data, private data networks, and federated architecture to protect control while improving AI performance and media planning.
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Chris Crawford of Elite Media on What Marketing Drives Real, Sustainable Growth
Pulse June 24, 2026Chris Crawford, founder of and CEO at Elite Media, shares what separates exceptional multicultural marketing from work that merely acknowledges culture. As a 2026 ANA Multicultural and Inclusive Marketing Awards Grand Jury member, Crawford reveals what sustainable growth, real insight, and creative accountability look like in winning submissions.
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Authenticity Is the New Advantage in Award-Winning Work
Leading Edge June 24, 2026A marketing awards judge shares what separates good entries from category leaders — connecting insight to business impact, proving ROAS, using precision with purpose, and prioritizing authenticity, equity, and scalable strategy over stunts.
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The Adoption of GEO and the Shift to AI-Driven Discovery
Leading Edge June 24, 2026A new Spiegel Research Center study finds 95 percent of senior marketers are using artificial intelligence (AI) in search workflows, yet governance and measurement systems may be struggling to keep pace. The shift from traditional SEO to generative engine optimization (GEO) could leave organizations exposed if readiness gaps go unaddressed.
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When Talent Is Everywhere, Hire for Hunger
Leading Edge June 22, 2026As layoffs reshape the talent market, marketing leaders face a new challenge: identifying hungry, high-impact hires. This essay argues that drive, curiosity, and initiative matter more than credentials in a crowded field.
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Why Outcomes Measurement Is Becoming a Budget Imperative
Leading Edge June 19, 2026As budgets tighten, marketers must link brand awareness to business outcomes. Outcomes measurement is becoming essential to defend spend, guide decisions, and prove marketing's role in growth.
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How AI Is Reshaping B2B Discovery
Leading Edge June 17, 2026AI-led discovery is reshaping B2B buying, compressing early research and reducing visible intent signals. Marketers must influence demand earlier as AI-driven answers reshape how buyers research and decide.
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Artificial Intelligence Has Made the Audience Marketplace More Competitive
Leading Edge June 15, 2026AI is reshaping how consumers discover content, forcing marketers to rethink syndicated audience strategies that once offered scale. As shared data pools erode competitive advantage, custom intelligence layered onto first-party data may determine who converts.
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Your Brand Is Every Single Touchpoint You Have with Your Consumers
Pulse June 15, 2026Every customer interaction — not just advertising — shapes brand perception, and marketers may hold more influence over that reality than they realize. A new op-ed series explores how brand touchpoints extend beyond campaigns and why marketers must advocate for the customer experience across the entire organization.
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Healthcare Marketing's New Rx: 5 Strategies to Build Trust and Drive Growth
Leading Edge June 12, 2026Trust is becoming the defining constraint on growth in healthcare marketing, and brands are rethinking how they earn it. Five strategies — from zero-party data to experiential campaigns — show how marketers may build lasting consumer relationships.
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Most Attribution Is Theater (And Your CFO Knows It)
Leading Edge June 12, 2026Sophisticated attribution hasn't earned executive trust. This essay argues marketers must shift from perfect models to credible frameworks that connect brand signals to business outcomes leaders believe.
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